Pokémon Houndoom

[TaBuu]

[#grimreaper]
Mega-Houndoom #229

Type :

Base Stats* : 75/90/90/140/90/115
Ability : Solar Power

• In sunshine, Solar Power raises the Special Attack stat 1.5×, but lowers the user's HP by 1/8 of its maximum HP at the end of each turn.

Movepool : *The following list contains only notable moves

• Flamethrower
• Crunch
• Nasty Plot
• Taunt
• Hidden Power
• Sunny Day
• Solar Beam
• Protect
• Shadow Ball
• Dark Pulse
• Sludge Bomb
• Fire Blast
• Torment
• Flame Charge
• Rest
• Overheat
• Will-O-Wisp
• Substitute
• Snarl
• Fire Spin
• Sucker Punch
• Heat Wave
• Iron Tail
• Super Fang

Potential Moveset :
"Cerberus"
Item : Houndoomite
Ability : Solar Power
Nature : Naive (+Spe,-SpD)
EV Spread : 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Moveset : Sunny Day or Nasty Plot | Fire Blast | Dark Pulse | SolarBeam or Hidden Power Ice

Houndoom is one of the several fortunate underused Pokemon to receive a MegaEvolution, granting our favorite pyro-canine a majestic BST of 600.
The choice of nature and EV Spread is for the sake of simplicity. No major speed tiers have been announced so sticking the classic 4/252/252 spread never hurts.
Solar Power is Houndoom's newfound ability and it truly serves Houndoom justice.
Solar Power brings
Houndoom's STAB Fire Blast to a whole new tier when boosted by Drought/Sunny Day and Solar Power.
Never hurts to see some calculations :

• 252 SpA Solar Power (custom) Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Jellicent in sun: 203-239 (50.37 - 59.3%) -- 78.52% chance to 2HKO
• 252 SpA Solar Power (custom) Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latias in sun: 170-201 (56.29 - 66.55%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• 252 SpA Solar Power (custom) Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Vaporeon in sun: 223-263 (48.16 - 56.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
• 252 SpA Solar Power (custom) Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp in sun: 244-288 (68.15 - 80.44%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
• 252 SpA Solar Power (custom) Fire Blast vs. 212 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill in sun: 256-302 (64.97 - 76.64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Nothing can truly safely walk in on MegaHoundoom's boosted Fire Blast without facing a 2HKO.
While Nasty Plot looks inferior to Sunny Day as a boosting move, there are many advantages to running Nasty Plot.
Sunny Day causes MegaHoundoom to lose a significant chunk of its HP every turn. While Sunny Day does eliminate SolarBeam's charge turn and also helps MegaHoundoom take certain Water-Type moves such as Choice Banded Azumarill's AquaJet, weather inducers can instantly undo Sunny Day, jeopardizing the effectiveness of Houndoom. Weather has been nerfed with the 5-turn policy ; Nasty Plot is a consistent boosting move that does not drain HP and also boosts non-Fire Type moves in MegaHoundoom's arsenal as well.
Dark Pulse is an obvious STAB move of choice.
SolarBeam and HP Ice comes down to what threats need to be covered and which boosting move Houndoom chooses to run.

*I'm a little pressed for time so this OP with be updated. But please discuss!

 

[Chaco]

Why not a -Atk nature?

 

[Svartwolf]

Finally!

well, it could have been better, since i like doom's physical option, but doesnt look bad.. the extra speed is welcome. hope that the better defenses is enough to help it against fighting priority though.

an - atk nature could be useful unless you are running suckerpunch to pick weakened mons. while not absurdly strong like absol's, houndoom sucker used to be strong enough, and more importantly, way less predictable. although the loss of LO hurts it's physical side.

Sunny day could be interesting as sun setter and abuser, and in a little note, while sun boost doom fire attacks, if i remember correctly, solar power boost sp attack, not fire attacks, meaning that doom's dark pulse and solar beam also get boosted.

oh, and probably teh only reason you want to use hidden power is to nail x4 weakness so in this case i think HP fighting would be more useful, since otherwise tyranitar walks all over you. at least hethran doesnt wall you anymore : D

harsha edit: don't double post

 

[asterat]

Fuck I'm looking forward to this. Houndoom is one of my favorites and this might be a niche for it. I doubt it will be all that good though, the ubiquitous (or so I predict) azumarill will check him pretty well which sucks. No permanent sun sort of leaves him stranded though. Fire blast, dark pulse, and HP fighting (tyranitar/heatran) is great coverage. I guess we'll really have to see how he does. There is already lots of OUs that resist its STAB and HP fighting is even weaker too. At least fire blast will scorch fairies outside of Azumarill (and Carbink lol.)

 

[Helldoom]

The stat spread in the OP has 590 BST. I'm pretty sure mega houndoom has base 100 special defense.

I think mega houndoom definitely has potential. Sunny day is the best set IMO, because of the weather nerf. Sunny day screws over Ttar and politoed. It's also great against Azumarill: with houndooms significantly increased defense you can easily take an aqua jet in sun and ko back with solarbeam.

 

[Chaco]

Do we know which moves do pokemon learn already? Because if Houndoom learned a Fairy-type attack that would be awesome.

 

[Thorhammer]

To clarify, Solar Power boosts all moves, not just Fire as stated in the OP. Unless that was a change in Gen 6?

 

[Svartwolf]

yeah, if it learns a high powered special fairy move it would be amazing, nailing dragons and other dark pokes, while being neutral to fairy itself. I don't remember dark pulse BP, but unless is less than 80 (which i doubt) you are better dark pulsing heathran than HPing, (unless HP ground), since steel no longer resist dark, and you even have a nifty chance of flinching.

 

[Anartya]

What's interesting to note is that if Houndoom switches in on Mega Charizard Y, gets flash fire boost, mega evolves and uses Fire Blast with solar power and flash fire in sun, there is a 68.75% of OHKO with neutral nature and 100% of OHKO with positive nature.

Calcs:
+1 252 SpA Solar Power (custom) (Move 1) vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD (custom) in sun: 284-335 (95.3 - 112.41%) -- 68.75% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ SpA Solar Power (custom) (Move 1) vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD (custom) in sun: 312-367 (104.69 - 123.15%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Can someone verify this? I took into account Fire Blast's nerf.

 

[mrglass]

As much as I love Houndoom, I'm skeptical of Mega Doom's Chances in OU. As someone who used SP Zard last gen, I can say it's really not a very good ability. Firing off Fire Blasts that can 2HKO Vaporeon is awesome and all, but the 1/8 HP loss essentially makes the user as frail as Combee. Even resisted priority moves hurt a ton, and if you run into a sash, you're screwed. Unlike SP Zard, Mega Doom has the speed to support it, but I don't think that would be enough to make SP that usable.

Really, I feel Helioptile is really the best SP user right now, as it can heal with Parabolic Charge.

 

[Tribute]

Why run Naive with no physical moves slashed

 

[Runic]

I've been doing some research, there are two changes I'd make; Give it Timid and put the 4 extra EVs in SpD (that doubles the chance of surviving a Heatran EP at full health).

 

[Wendrika]

This thing is a monster. Fought one yesterday, and my poor Mega Gardevoir didn't stood a chance. One shot by a Sludge Bomb. I supose carrying a Poison move to put fairies in their place is a sound strategy right?

 

[azureleaf17]

Some sets with calcs and alternatives.

Mega Houndoom (Sun Nasty Plot)
Houndoom @ Houndoomite
Ability: Flash Fire (Solar Power)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Speed
Nature: Timid / Mild
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse / Sucker Punch
- Solar Beam / Hidden Power Rock / Hidden Power Grass / Substitute

If sun is up, Mega Houndoom boasts one of the hardest-hitting special attacks in the game:

+2 252 SpA Solar Power Houndoom Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Thick Fat Snorlax in sun: 288-339 (54.96 - 64.69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Mewtwo Aura Sphere vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Snorlax: 390-460 (74.42 - 87.78%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

This is a SUPER EFFECTIVE hit from a MEWTWO vs. a RESISTED hit from a HOUNDOOM on one of the best fully invested special walls in the game (160/110 Special Defense). Granted, it is at +2, but the chance of having such immense power may be reason enough to run Drought or Sunny Day support on a team to give Houndoom a chance at shining. Because Fire Blast vaporizes things even when resisted, everything else revolves around coverage. Dark Pulse is Solar Power-boosted and very, very powerful, but an uninvested Sucker Punch still has a chance to fight back against faster Pokemon such as Mega Gengar (regular Gengar is outsped and crushed by Fire Blast, even if it tries to Mega Evolve that turn), and Fire Blast obliterates everything anyway, making mildly powerful physical priority something that might be appealing. The last spot is mostly filler, but getting through the Pokemon who quad resist Fire Blast or have Flash Fire may give it problems. And speaking of Flash Fire, if you manage to switch Houndoom in on a Fire-type move before Mega Evolving, this is about the equivalent of a Solar Power boost to Fire Blast. Something says goodbye.

Mega Houndoom (SunnyBeam)
Houndoom @ Houndoomite
Ability: Flash Fire (Solar Power)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpAtk / 252 Speed
Nature: Timid / Mild
- Sunny Day
- Solarbeam
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse / Sucker Punch

The old school classic returns! Although inferior to the other set due to less power, Flash Fire on normal Houndoom can still make Mega Houndoom an absolute MONSTER, and being able to set up Sunny Day for itself with slightly improved defenses can allow it to still wreak havoc, now with a more reliable Solarbeam to boot. SunnyBeam has always been a weird strategy because its users took hits like wet tissues and it was almost completely wrecked by auto-weather in Gen V, but it's hard to resist the potential of OHKO'ing a good part of the metagame with just a couple of attacks.

Mixed Attacker
Houndoom @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpAtk / 252 Speed
Nature: Hasty
- Pursuit
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
- Crunch

The Gen V standard that became one of the strangest high-risk, high-reward Pokemon in UU. With good prediction, any one of Houndoom's three physical 80 BP STABs could put a good dent in your opponent no matter what he chose to do: switch, attack with a physical move, or attack with a special one. It remains viable in this generation, especially because many will be expecting the special attacking Mega Houndoom only to get hit with a physical set instead. It makes Ghost- and Psychic-typing on many Pokemon a liability, but predicting wrongly will almost certainly end up with a dead dog on your hands.

 

[Luigifan]

This thing is a monster. Fought one yesterday, and my poor Mega Gardevoir didn't stood a chance. One shot by a Sludge Bomb. I supose carrying a Poison move to put fairies in their place is a sound strategy right?

Fire resists Fairy. What did you think you were going to do?

 

[mrglass]

I think people aren't giving enough credit to the external sun with no Nasty Plot option. If you run a Ninetales or Weather starter with Heat Rock, 8 turns is more than you'll need to sweep with Houndoom. And there is a benefit to opening up a move slot so that you can run Dark Pulse, Fire Blast, SolarBeam, and HP Fairy. You also don't have to waste a turn setting up and risking losing your Houndoom

 

[Ckarasu]

I think people aren't giving enough credit to the external sun with no Nasty Plot option. If you run a Ninetales or Weather starter with Heat Rock, 8 turns is more than you'll need to sweep with Houndoom. And there is a benefit to opening up a move slot so that you can run Dark Pulse, Fire Blast, SolarBeam, and HP Fairy. You also don't have to waste a turn setting up and risking losing your Houndoom

Well, it does have perfect coverage. Just checked, and nothing resists that set-up. Sadly, once sun is down, Houndoom loses a move(Solar Beam) due to it being impractical. It's a tad risky, especially when you can just run Poison, Fire, Dark for good coverage.

 

[Non-Guest 31415]

Well, it does have perfect coverage. Just checked, and nothing resists that set-up. Sadly, once sun is down, Houndoom loses a move(Solar Beam) due to it being impractical. It's a tad risky, especially when you can just run Poison, Fire, Dark for good coverage.

Why would it be out when the sun is down? Assuming direct switch from a Heat Rock sun-setter, he has 7 turns of sun. That's 7/8 of his HP without getting hit. I think in that situation, SolarBeam's charge turn is the least of his concerns.

 

[Jexulus]

Well, it does have perfect coverage. Just checked, and nothing resists that set-up. Sadly, once sun is down, Houndoom loses a move(Solar Beam) due to it being impractical. It's a tad risky, especially when you can just run Poison, Fire, Dark for good coverage.

This would be good coverage, except that Tyranitar still resists all three. Poison might not be worth it if it gets Dazzling Gleam or something.

 

[Ckarasu]

This would be good coverage, except that Tyranitar still resists all three. Poison might not be worth it if it gets Dazzling Gleam or something.

Yeah, I know. Even then, Tyranitar can tank the Hidden Power as he'll swap the weather to sandstorm when he comes out.

Why would it be out when the sun is down? Assuming direct switch from a Heat Rock sun-setter, he has 7 turns of sun. That's 7/8 of his HP without getting hit. I think in that situation, SolarBeam's charge turn is the least of his concerns.

But it's not likely that he'll be able to take full advantage of that. Also, there will be the issue of Stealth Rocks being on the field, so you'll need to spin them away or defog them. This wastes even more time, and that's not even counting the fact that he'll likely take a hit when he switches in. Solar Power is great, but Nasty Plot is a bit more consistent. Though, I could be proven wrong on that.

 

[Tribute]

Does flash fire stay through mega

 

[Aldrius]

Does flash fire stay through mega

No. But it's a good ability to give non-mega Houndoom for switching in. Before it goes mega.

 

[Alopex]

To clarify, Solar Power boosts all moves, not just Fire as stated in the OP. Unless that was a change in Gen 6?

Indeed. http://www.serebii.net/abilitydex/solarpower.shtml

This should probably be updated in the OP. As I see it, there are benefits to both sets:

- Sunny Day + Solar Power = SpA x 1.5 and increased defenses by weakening Water moves, giving MegaHound more bulk with its increased power, at the cost of 1/8 HP per turn.
- Nasty Plot = SpA x 2, and no health loss, but also makes the hound more susceptible to Aqua Jets.

 

[Damo]

Any set without hidden power ground or fighting is completely walled by TTar and Heatran, which will both be huge this gen.
I really love Houndoom, but I feel he is one of the worse mega's. SR weakness and the fact that you can only use 1 mega on a team really hurt him.

 

[Cogg]

So many replies, yet not a single mention of Sludge Bomb? C'mon people? That thing would wreck any Fairies hoping to check it, including Azumarill, you don't need to be a genius to know that. Basically, when Mega Evolved, Megadoom gets STAB on all of it's special attacks, and 2x on Fire and Dark type attacks. If you decide to run a Nasty Plot set, wow. +3 STAB sun boosted Fire Blast at 140 Sp Atk? I would hate to be on the receiving end of that. Fairies? Sludge Bomb. Water types? Solar Beam. The things that can safely take one of these things to the face are few and far between. While sun has been nerfed, and it's risky as well as potentially wasteful to use Nasty Plot instead of a different move for better coverage, even without these things, it has base 140 special attack and a decent speed stat. It also resists Ghost, as well as only taking neutral damage from Fairy. It's one of the best special sweepers ever, even when it's not in it's ideal conditions.